OK, I saw Supersize Me. I read Fast Food Nation. I try to purchase and make the healthiest food that I am able for my children, organic when possible, high in nutrients and fiber and vegetable protein.

But dude, at Chick-Fil-A in downtown Silver Spring, kids eat free on Tuesday night from 5-8pm.

I am guessing that about half of you are horrified. You either never feed your kids fast food, or only do so in emergency situations like road trips and airport layovers. You are wise to the benefits and evils of things like chemicals, preservatives, artificial colors, dairy, soy, gluten, and your child’s body is the beneficiary of your hard work to keep him healthy. Please stop reading here and know that I wish I were just like you.

For those of you that succumb to the draw of a free meal of questionable nutritional value once in a while, here’s the scoop: your child can choose a chicken nugget or chicken strip meal, with a fruit cup or waffle fries and a lowfat milk or fruit juice for his drink. A vegetarian friend just let me know that you can ask for the fruit cup AND the fries in lieu of the chicken. The fried food is free of transfats and lower in sodium than many other fast food places. Specific nutrition information is available here. The free toy we have received in the past with the kid’s meal was a CD from the PBS show Between the Lions and has us singing in the minvan to the wonders of the letter E and Greek mythology.

The meal is free with the purchase of an adult food item. I have had their grilled chicken wrap and I have noted that without mayo, it has less Weight Watchers points and more fiber and lean protein than sandwiches hawked by now-thin guys named Jared. There are also green salads with grilled chicken and “heart healthy” chicken soup.

I know, I know, I am rationalizing. But I also know that sometimes parents are in a hurry, kids are hungry when picked up from school, cupboards are bare and families may be down to their last dollar for the pay period, so there you go.

The Metro DC Kids Directory has a list of other places in Montgomery County and the DC area that have kids eat free promotions. Most of these other locations seem healthier but none are right in Silver Spring.

Now, where did I put those raw almonds?